CertiGuide to A+ (A+ 4 Real)  9  Chapter 7: History, Installing and Use of the MacOS       9  Let’s Get Some Users!

The User Window 1 You are Booted Up, Now What?

As with most operating systems, with Mac OS X there are three different kinds of users:

• Root - often called superuser in the UNIX world, the root user is also called the “owner” in Mac Speak
  
  
• Admin – Administrator accounts, also given to the owner, since the Mac assumes that as the owner you are also administrator. As administrator, you are allowed to do the following actions that Users are not allowed to do:
  • Install new programs in the Applications folder
    
    
  • Add fonts that everyone can use (in the main Library)
    
    
  • Create new accounts or edit existing accounts
    
    
  • Set System Preferences that are unavailable to users, such as Network, Login and Startup Disk
    
    
  • Create new folders outside Home Folder
  
  
  
• User – These are the normal accounts, with no special or administrator rights. The normal user only has access to his/her home folder and other areas of the Mac are strictly off-limits, unless he or she has granted rights to see or alter them by either the administrator or root. Do not let this confuse you, as anyone can be given an administrator account, but the root user, or SuperUser is the one account that was created when the OS was installed.

Now that you have created the users, you can control who can auto login or whether everyone is prompted for a password. It is usually much safer and more secure to force everyone to login using his or her password. However, if this is your new iMac at home, or if you are the only one with keys to the office, you may want your Mac to boot and automatically login as you. All login and auto-login controls are in System Preferences, under the Login button. The Login Items tab opens the window where you set the applications that open on Login. By clicking the Login Window tab, you will be shown options for Login such as auto-login and how the login window will appear, either with the names displayed or not.

Figure 383: Login Window

The User Window 1 You are Booted Up, Now What?

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